This section provides background information related to the present disclosure that is not necessarily prior art.
Electrical equipment such as electrical switchgear used in electric power distribution systems requires connection of power cables for electric power distribution. In certain applications, such as underground and pad-mounted applications, a power cable will be terminated with a separable connector that is coupled to a switchgear terminal interface or connector. Electrical switchgear may be provided with a proprietary or non-standard interface that requires a bushing for transitioning from the proprietary or non-standard interface on the electrical equipment to an industry-standard interface on the separable connector. Industry-standard interfaces are dictated by standards organizations such as IEEE, ANSI, IEC, and Cenelec. These standards provide specifications for manufacturers of separable connectors that define dimensions, test requirements and ratings for the electrical power interconnect.
In order to provide an effective interconnection between a separable connector on a power cable and electrical equipment, the separable connector requires proper preparation of the power cable, for example, stripping various layers of the cable to different lengths, installation of the separable connector onto the prepared power cable ends, and attachment of the separable connector with power cable onto the switchgear bushing interface. The process of preparing cable ends, installing the separable connectors onto the cable ends, and attaching the separable connector with power cable onto the switchgear requires a certain level of skill. Faulty materials or workmanship during any part of the process may result in a dielectric breakdown in the area of the separable connector to switchgear interface, resulting from errors in cable preparation, faulty power cables, faulty separable connectors, separable connectors not properly sized for the power cable, improper assembly of the separable connector onto the power cable, improper assembly of the separable connector onto the switchgear interface, or contamination of any electrical interface. A dielectric breakdown in the area of the separable connector may cause irreparable damage to the connector on the switchgear that requires significant repair and/or replacement of the switchgear assembly.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an easy and effective interconnection of the power cable/connector assembly to the electrical equipment that also can be replaced in a simple manner without major repair or replacement of the electrical equipment. In addition, it is desirable to provide an adaptor for a power cable/connector having an industry-standard interface with electrical equipment having a proprietary or non-standard interface. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.